Koch Media has signed a distribution deal with Virgin Play for the games Dead'n'Furious and Final Armada in the UK. Both games are said to be coming out in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Managing Director of Koch Media Craig McNicol seems to be very thrilled about the entire proposition saying that, "it’s our [Koch Media UK's] aim to expand our console portfolio with quality titles, and the new products on DS and PSP from Virgin Play are great games to get excited about".

The Managing Director of Virgin Play Francisco Encinas, shares the same thoughts. He noted that "Wew are very pleased to have found the best possible partner to distribute our products in the UK. We are confident that this will be the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship for both companies."

So what exactly does Dead 'n' Furious and Final Armada bring to gamers?

Dead 'n' Furious, developed for the Nintendo DS by Dream On Studios has been called a "tribute to the House of the Dead" series. After checking out some of the awesome screenshots and reading up on the game play options, it looks like this game is going to be a killer. This game is essentially like an arcade shooter where you kill zombies by blasting their heads off. Your character is taken along a predefined path as you point and shoot with a stylus.

Final Armada for the PSP and the PS2 is a different story altogether. This one is about big mecha-like vehicles battling to the death. To be honest the visuals on this one are absolutely stunning. No word on how polished the gameplay is yet, but if it plays like it looks, then it'll be worth buying.

Hamburg-based publisher dtp entertainment (Yes, it's all in small caps. Don't us ask why.) will be handling the distribution of Spanish video game publisher Virgin Play's current game portfolio in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This was announced by both companies earlier today.

The distribution deal covers the following games:

• Torrente 3: El Protector (PC, PS2)
• Final Armada (PSP, PS2)
• Dead'n'Furious (Nintendo DS).

"We are glad to co-operate with a new and strong partner who will add innovative games addressing mainstream gamers to the German market. We are continuing to expand our 3rd party distribution services in Germany, Austria and Switzerland," said Steffen Hippe, Sales Director, dtp entertainment.

Virgin's Managing Director Francisco Encinas echoed Hippe's statement. "This is an important step in Virgin´s international expansion," said Encinas. "We are extremely pleased to be working with dtp and are confident that our products will achieve nothing but success in their hands."

Remember the Nintendo DS game called Dead 'N' Furious? Well, if you don't remember it,  it is probably because it is now known as Touch the Dead. Recently, it was revealed that Eidos would take care of the game's publishing chores and Cubed3 was able to score an interview with Ben Yoris, director at Dream-On Studio, the developer of the game. Basically, he talked about the DS game and the possibility of a Wii version.

When asked about how the project is doing, Yoris mentioned that "Touch the Dead is now a finished project. There were 6 to 8 people involved in the game." He divulged that so far, the game is pretty much a DS project, but they are considering it on the Wii as well. When asked how Touch the Dead would mesh with the Wii's unique control system, he said:

We think the game play could be easily adapted to the Wii. Of course the Wii would offer more possibilities in terms of motion detection for close range weapons, for example.

Putting the future talk aside, he discussed how the DS features will be used. He mentioned that they have implemented a wireless mode for two-players so as the game wouldn't lose that arcade feel. He reveals that in another version, they might try on implementing some microphone or Wi-Fi features. Although the game only has four chapters, Yoris said that they tried to make it progressively hard so as players won't finish the game in their first try.

And of course, an interview about the Wii isn't complete without some next-gen console talk. When he was asked if he thinks the Wii could compete with the PS3 and Xbox 360, he said:

As a gamer, I have the greatest hope in the Nintendo Wii. I really think powerful graphics and effects are one thing and game play is another. Take Gears of War for example, which is a great game. You enjoy the quality of the game, it’s “next gen”. But basically you do something you already did in other games: advance and shoot. On Wii, I really think you will create some atmosphere and implication by the movement and the human-console interface. I think this is as important as the graphics and technology. Once the player is immersed in such an atmosphere, whatever the graphics, they will want to re-play.

You could check out the word-per-word account of the interview by clicking on our "Read" link below.

For some reason, South Park comes to mind while watching this Dead'n'Furious trailer, though why the connection exists is beyond me. The only thing similar between this zombie-shooting game and the South Park series is the funny way in which things get blown off, kind of like seeing Kenny die repeatedly throughout the game trailer.

Yeah, that's probably looking mighty sick to you. Oh well.

You don't really get that many rail shooters for the DS, and a wholesome company like Nintendo doesn't have the reputation as being zombie city, even if they did have some Resident Evil games on their earlier consoles. That makes Dead'n'Furious even more of an interesting addition to the stable of DS games.

Dream On Studio and Virgin Play have made this game in such a way that furious, well-aimed tapping will lead you to victory against the zombie horde. From the trailer below, it also looks as if you can blow certain parts of the body, which is definitely a throwback to other rail shooters we've grown to love in arcades. Oh, and did we mention that you get to whack stuff with a crowbar too? Sweet!

For now, just take a peek at this trailer for the game think of the characters in South Park dying horrendous deaths at your hands, and laugh like a bloody fool. Enjoy!

You've got Dead Rising, Resident Evil: Deadly Silence, and now, Dead'n'Furious. Is it just us, or is there one too many game titles with the word "dead" in them? In any case, Nintendo DS' Dead'n'Furious (D'n'F) does bring something new into the zombiefest gaming arena.

Aside from MORE weapons, MORE amputated limbs, and of course, MORE flesh-eating zombies, D'n'F from Dream On Studio boasts of an intriguing storyline which will grip the gamers and make them try to solve the mystery. You play as Rob Steiner, serving a life sentence for a crime you may have not actually committed. From the high-security prison, to the research facility, to the swamps, and to the airport, you guide yourself around the creepily silent surroundings using the touchpad.

The gameplay tries to recreate that of arcade-style shoot-'em-ups much like House of the Dead (yet another game with "dead" in the title). And using the touch pad, the gamer must drag-and-drop bullets to reload.

And if all of that is not enough, you can play with a friend through WiFi.

With that said, we give you some cathartic zombie-smashing, -bashing, and -trashing with these new screenshots.

    
   

It's been quiet around Virgin Play's on-rails/arcade shooter Dead 'n Furious for a while, but a new trailer has just emerged that shows the game in motion. It promises old-school zombie shooting action with a huge arsenal of weapons; and a 2-player coop mode, letting you blast through the game together with a friend on your side, should make it even more fun.

While some elements of the trailer look a bit strange (Why is the gun not moving regardless of which direction you shoot at?), overall it could be a fun experience, especially if the developers also add a bit more variety to the zombies and environments. Dead 'n Furious has no release date yet, but we'll keep you updated.

  
 

Last April, France's Dream On Studio together with Virgin Play has announced their latest game for the Nintendo DS - Dead'n Furious. This one is a shooting game which utilizes the DS' stylus. Personally, this one reminds me of those shoot 'em up arcade games with the fake gun controllers that I usually play with my friends back then. Those arcade games are fun, I hope this one is too.

The game will be filled with loads of weapons, plenty of zombies, and a mysterious storyline to keep you glued to your DS and to the game. The best part is that there will be a cooperative 2 player mode (more of the arcade feel right there), and with that, you can work hand-in-hand to eliminate those evil undead.

Its scheduled release is still too far from now - November 2006. So with that, go ahead and take a look at some of the games screens, while we wait for it to come out.